I’m asked quite a bit about my daily routine.

I’ve experimented with being super regimented, but nowadays I’m a fan of keeping things fluid and flexible. In this line of work, assuming a priority’s not hurling yourself off of the tallest man-made object in your general vicinity, there’s really no other option.

I have also, as I imagine most of you have, wasted god knows how many hours “researching” rich and famous people’s schedules, bio hacks, and FOMO-inducing nonsense. Everyone’s life is different, and if you’re a professional creative, I’d wager quite a bit different even to those who fancy themselves as different.

That said, here’re a few things I’ve noticed that, on balance, make me more tolerable company:

I don’t wake up at a specific time. I’m lucky that my lifestyle allows me to start the day whenever my body gives the green light, and I’m trying to own that good fortune. Sometimes I’m in bed by 9pm, sometimes I’m out until the wee hours, like last night, throwing my 30-something body around the mosh pit at a hardcore show, the kids no doubt surprised, what with this being the last place they’d expect to see someone who looks like the family accountant. I can do the marathon work thing, and the straight to stage from the airport, jet lagged out of my gourd thing, but when I’m calling the shots, I like sleeeeeeeep. I’m more creative, productive, and stay debatably more sane.

I like doing 20-30mins of yoga in the morning. I’m not as spry as I used to be, and have gnarly scoliosis (I’m single, ladies), and gentle movement first thing draws my attention into my body before my racing mind takes over. I write better songs as a result, and generally make better decisions throughout the day.

If I don’t write music more or less first thing, I get cranky. I pick up a guitar and fish around for however long until my mind starts wandering. That’s usually a couple hours or so, unless it’s not. And I try to do the same thing later in the evening, harnessing the unique energies of both phases of the day.

My first meal’s almost always vegetarian. I’m not vegetarian, but I get depressed if I hit my system with too much schmutz before I’ve at least gotten a verse and chorus that’s not cringe-worthy. Today, it was quinoa, lentils, beans, fresh peppers, and tomatoes, with a touch of curry powder. Quotidian, but tasty.

I try to listen to some amount of music everyday with headphones. I have music on all the time, and I’m all about passive listening, but I’ve found deep listening, for lack of a better term, to be inspiring meditation.